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Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in South Dakota

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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in South Dakota

8 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in South Dakota with 1,022 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in South Dakota to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in South Dakota

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top South Dakota Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing

#1

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD

Our analysis found Augustana University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in South Dakota. Located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Augustana Sioux Falls carry an average student debtload of $29,512.

Read full report on Nursing at Augustana University

#2

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Marty University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Yankton.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mount Marty take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $35,175.

Full Nursing at Mount Marty University Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from South Dakota State carry an average student debtload of $29,938. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $162.

Read full report on Nursing at South Dakota State University

#4

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. Located in the town of Vermillion, USD is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing majors at USD take out an average of $31,467 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $129.

Read full report on Nursing at University of South Dakota

#5

Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Presentation College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. Located in the remote town of Aberdeen, Presentation College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Presentation College take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $43,547.

Full Nursing at Presentation College Report

#6

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD

University of Sioux Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls, University of Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from University of Sioux Falls take out $31,957 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at University of Sioux Falls Report

With a ranking of #7, Dakota Wesleyan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Dakota Wesleyan University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Mitchell.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Dakota Wesleyan University carry an average student debtload of $37,688.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
North Dakota 976
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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